feels morally bankrupt to me. His basic perspective is that freedom is the only absolute and intrinsic value. Worse, he even equates love with freedom, thereby cheapening love. Hard for me to fathom why so many cling to this same synthesis after the 20th century.

KJSharp saidfeels morally bankrupt to me. His basic perspective is that freedom is the only absolute and intrinsic value. Worse, he even equates love with freedom, thereby cheapening love. Hard for me to fathom why so many cling to this same synthesis after the 20th century.

KJSharp saidfeels morally bankrupt to me. His basic perspective is that freedom is the only absolute and intrinsic value. Worse, he even equates love with freedom, thereby cheapening love. Hard for me to fathom why so many cling to this same synthesis after the 20th century.

Great post - first decent one I've read here in a long time! Yes, it's just the old JSMill hodgepodge of '60s permissiveness: "anything is OK as long as I'm not hurting anybody." Putting aside the problems of proximity, we've seen where adopting that as social policy has got us. Recall Janis Joplin's thoughts: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." ("Me & Bobby McGee.")

As for great speeches - and since when do ads constitute same? - anything by WSChurchill, WJBryant, or either of the Roosevelts - and I don't mean Eleanor and/or Alice - qualifies for me.

This was something of a prepared speech. A moment of incredible profundity. So much so that misanthropic atheist Madeline Murray O'Hair got her tent-sized granny panties in a twist and sued the government.

Case was dismissed, I believe, for "lack of jurisdiction." (You can't make that up...)

Harry, no. This "speech" sucks. Sagan was a charlatan and a hack scientist. He was good with words, that's all.

The "pale blue dot" harangue had some nice flourishes, but it was empty and unoriginal. Sagan also confused the terms "humility" and "humiliation."

I don't know anything about himbut it is right that if you know the character of a person(either the real truth or just imagination) his words and actions will also look the same though the person's intention was completely different.From this perspective, I though it as a good speech.